This document, written in the first person, describes the history and feelings of a woman who was functionally illiterate as an adult but who, having learned to read, is now a student at Rancho Santiago Community College District in Orange, California. This "open letter" urges teachers to support and encourage students with similar problems,…

Describes how the work of modern poets can expand adult learners' views of the uses of reading and writing and their own ability and specifically shows how the works of Carl Sandburg, Lucille Clifton, William Carlos Williams, and Langston Hughes can be used to teach adults to read. (SRT)

Relates current trends in public interpretations of reading research, which are prone to exaggeration and paranoia, to G. Larson's "Far Side" cartoons. Notes a substantial gap between what is taught in the schools to develop literacy abilities and what is demanded in society to demonstrate literacy competence. (SKC)

Like Humpty Dumpty after the fall from the wall, language does not work effectively when it is not whole. For many students, the reading problems they begin to experience in the third or fourth grade are caused by the basic skills manner in which beginning reading is taught. Recognizing the limitations of basic skills instruction and the genre of…

This article proposes a four-component framework for understanding the literacy of individuals with visual impairments, and defines two levels of literacy--basic (or academic) and functional (or practical) literacy. Implications are drawn for development of self-advocacy skills, development of standards for judging literacy in this population, and…

Discusses the changing nature of UNESCO's approach to attaining worldwide literacy. Argues that any initiative in formal education or adult literacy depends on political engagement at the highest level, mobilization of necessary financial and human resources, and genuine popular participation. Suggests finding a common language to improve the…

Documents produced for three separate conferences that were convened to discuss the aims and methods of English instruction in the past century demonstrate the pedagogical shift from a "formal" concept of literacy to a more functional one. An 1896 conference at Harvard University reviewed secondary school and college English instruction during the…

The following steps will integrate computers into a volunteer literacy program: (1) decide how the computers will be used, depending on the program's needs (typically, computers are used to help with management chores and to motivate students and help them attain their academic and career goals); (2) investigate software and hardware, including…

The Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit (ALBSU) analyzed draft plans, required by the Education Reform Act 1988, from about 40 percent of the local education authorities (LEAs) in England and Wales to identify basic skills and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) provisions for adults. Topics of concern were the maintenance of programs…

Any discussion of English as a Second Language (ESL) literacy should address three critical areas: who the learners are, what is to be taught, and how the literacy skills are to be taught. Three distinct groups of students can be classified as "non-literate" in their own language: pre-literates, illiterates, and semi-literates. Two approaches are…

Promotes the development of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) programs as a way of educating illiterate parents and nonreading adults in general. Notes several programs of this nature already in operation around the nation. Describes some nonthreatening courseware that is being used to recruit more adults into such programs. (TW)

Discusses problems facing developing nations in achieving UNESCO's goal of equality of educational opportunity. Mentions continuing inequality in literacy rates between developed and developing countries, and between the sexes. Describes functional illiteracy. Blames lack of progress on rates of demographic growth, pace of educational expansion,…

The concepts of literacy and health have been evolving and broadening, and interest in the connections between the two has been growing in Australia and elsewhere. However, the scope of practices related to health literacy in the health fields and in the adult literacy education field have remained fairly static. Research has identified the…

The relationship between literacy, numeracy, and employability was examined by analyzing data on basic skills that were collected in two of Great Britain's birth cohort studies--the National Child Development Study and the 1970 British Cohort Study. The functional literacy and numeracy skills of samples of 10% of the participants in each study…